He's already totted up losses of more than Rs. 2,035 crore on the FMCG business (insiders say that actual losses are far bigger if one considers the initial incubation costs that may have been absorbed by the tobacco division's hefty profits).

But many visitors will only decide whether to attend the show at the last minute, so it will be difficult to assess the state of the market until the event has finished and the attendance numbers totted up.